At our next village hoard meeting on February
20th at 7:00 pm, members from Cilion and Les Cole from CRC
will present to the hoard an overview regarding the anticipated Ethanol
plant in the Town of Caledonia. As most of you are aware, there has been
"public" meetings in the past at J.W. Jones Hall.

At the last meeting I questioned why the
Village of Caledonia had not been afforded an opportunity to meet with
Cilion to discuss a number of our concerns and to answer questions that
residents of the village have presented to me.

As of this writing I would like to make it
clear that I have not formed an opinion about the proposed project. Now
this may come as a shock to many of you. "rumor control" has
me against the project. Not true. This is why I have requested the
meeting.

The only way any of us can develop an opinion
is to go to the resource and discuss our concerns with them. I
anticipate a productive meeting and I would encourage any resident to
attend.

So there is no confusion, this meeting is with
the board and Cilion. It will be our time to discuss and resolve any
apparent misconceptions that Cilion and the board may have.

This project is going to have a major influence
on the Town and the Village of Caledonia and now is the time to talk
about these issues, before the project gets underway. I have been
assured by Mr. Cole that all of our questions will he addressed.

If time permits, we will open the meeting to
the floor and answer questions. All I ask is that everyone keep in mind
that this will be a learning experience for the hoard and we will try to
answer your questions if time permits. Thank you in advance for your
support and cooperation.

Joe CaluorieVillage of Caledonia Mayor

Rumor Control /
Caledonia Police Update

Rumors have a fascinating effect
on all of us. Now and again they can be very entertaining and other
times, be misinterpreted with a negative influence. I would like to
clear up one of the more significant one’s. In a recent article that
appeared in a local newspaper (12/21/06) it was acknowledged; "That
the Village Of Caledonia PD responded to "Life and Death
Emergencies" in the Town of Caledonia and that the Livingston
County Sheriff’s Department provided a "Supplementary"
services to the town. I have received several inquires about this
statement.

To report any emergency such as;
Fire, Police or Medical should always be reported to the Livingston
County E911 Call Center. In the past the Town and Village of Caledonia
have had a mutual agreement that states: "If requested by the
Livingston County Sheriffs Department (E911) Call Center", the CPD
will respond into the town as a "backup" or assistance. This
agreement is still in effect. The LCSD is the "primary"
responder to the town not CPD. I am mentioning this, to clear up any
confusion the article may have unintentionally caused. The town is
fortunate to have immediate access to the Livingston County Sheriff’s
Department and New York State Police and as a "backup" the CPD.
So, remember, always call E911. Hopefully you will never need
to.

Now, I would like to address some
of the more "entertaining rumors." No, I did not purchase an
"Orange bulletproof vest"; It was an orange Traffic Vest,
that was purchased to be used the week I filled in for the Crossing
Guard at the school. No, I am not enrolled in the Police Academy … Too
old … too heavy! And No, I do not drive the patrol car when CPD
does not have an officer on duty!

Currently, Officer Dave Richardson
is the OIC. He has performed exceptionally well and the department is
moving in a very positive direction. Kathy Narowski is our other full
time officer. The two new part time officers, Mike Murphy and Chris
Beach have settled in to their respective positions and have been well
received by the community. Officer Dan Chapman is part time and part of
his duties involve being the school resource officer. Both Chris Beach
and Dave Richardson are SRO’s.

In future articles I will
highlight the various departments in the village and try to answer any
questions regarding the department and to discuss any important or
informational issues.

In closing, I would like to thank
Barb Kemnitz ("Keeper Of The Sign") for all of her years of
service to the village and the community. Lastly, Our thoughts and best
wishes to Nora Brunette, our Deputy Village Clerk. We wish her a speedy
recovery.

Mayor Caluorie updates
the Village News

Time seems to be flying by for me.
Eight months have gone by and it feels like yesterday when the three of
us took office. Each day I encounter new events that add to the
"learning curve." Luckily, we have a great group of people
that work well together and are willing to go that extra mile, to
complete a difficult job. I have been asked to highlight some of the
high-profile projects and give my assessment of them.

Cal-Mum Hamilton Field Dedication:
What can I say. It was a gratifying night. The field is beautiful and
the dedication ceremony was professionally performed.

Monument: Talk about a "high
profile" project. There isn’t a day that does not go by that
someone doesn’t comment or call me about the "Monument."
There have been articles in the paper and even the "I Gotta
Vent" column has been used. The biggest issue is: WHO Has The
Right-a-Way?. Folks, if you are not sure, look up the laws that pertain
to Right-a-Ways. It is not complicated. However, do not presume the
other driver is wrong, preferably, be prudent and do not gamble on your
safety.

DPW: The major DPW projects are
concluded. The "joint" school project was a success and came
in under budget. It was beneficial to both the Village and Town of
Caledonia. My congratulations to Chris Buckley (Village DPW) and Mark
Schroeder (Town Highway Dept) for a job "Well Done". There are
future "joint" projects planned that will be cost effective
for both municipalities. Oh yes, WINTER is on its way, so get your snow
tires on and do not forget the over-night parking regulations. If you
have any questions, call the office. I do not want to see anyone receive
that "detested" parking ticket.

Water Grants: Recently several
streets (Jane, Jersey, Church, Spring & Mill) were sent
questionnaires requesting household information. I know there were
concerns about confidentiality. I can assure you that all information
will be kept private. The Village of Caledonia did not receive the
completed questionnaires. They were sent to an independent office that
computed the data and submitted the information to NYS for review. With
out your co-operation, we may not meet the requirements for the grant.
One way or another the water lines and mains need to be replaced. If we
receive cooperation from the residents we stand a good chance to receive
the grants. That will keep the water rates from escalating. Please call
me if you have any concerns or questions.

Police: We have added two new
Part-Timers. Chris Beach (Cal-Mum graduate) and Mike Murphy (Monroe
County Sheriff’s Dept, STAR Unit) have joined the force. We welcome
them to the Caledonia Police Department. Currently, their status is;
Part-time.

In closing I would like to thank
Kelley’s Heroes for their practice sessions the past few weeks. I
enjoyed hearing them while they marched through-out the village, honing
their skills for their big day in Toronto.

New Caledonia PD
Officer Mike Murphy, on a routine stop to meet the folks at
Pizza Land and others around town, meets this Caledonia young
lady who has nothing but smiles for the new police officer!

Mayor Caluorie’s first
Village News

Well, this is my first newsletter to
you since the three of us took office in April. I would have to say that
the first 30 days were spent "learning the ropes." The next
thing I did was to move into the office next to Ann Marie’s (Village
Clerk) office. I spent a great deal of the time trying to set up my file
system and to sort out all of my correspondence. I lost a bet to Ann
because I did not complete the task as agreed!

Department Updates

Police Department: Steve Polo was
made the Police Liaison. I chose Steve for several reasons, primarily
because of his experience at Eastman Kodak Company as a manager. He brings
to the table a fresh perspective regarding the department. He has looked
at such critical issues as scheduling (making use of our manpower) and how
it reflects on the community; the potential for a new hire to replace
Chief Joseph Rychlicki (who has indicated that it is time for him to give
up the reins) as the administrator in charge. Several applicants are being
looked at. (Mayor Caluorie’s column was written one week before Mr.
Rychlicki offered his resignation on September 1, 2006).

Village Crew: Chris Buckley was appointed department head of
the Streets and Water Department. We are very pleased with our selection.
Chris has taken on the added responsibility and moved the department
forward. We also promoted Bob Frew to Foreman. Currently he and Chris are
the only members that work in the water treatment plant. We are looking to
hire a third person to help with the responsibility. They have had several
major projects that have gone well. The School (joint project with Town
& Village) was completed in a timely manner. I am told they both made
a profit and still saved the taxpayers’ money.

Parks & Recreation Program: Completed another
banner year under the leadership of Betty McClenney. The parks have
several events, including road trips to Darien Lake and Minnehans in
Lakeville. There were daily activities at the park for the children. We
were able to turn on the sprinkler at the "wadding" pool. The
children loved that during the 90 degree weather. Our final day ended with
a "cook-out" for the children. We had some excellent chefs on
hand - Mark Schroeder (Town Foreman), Chris Buckley (Village ); Dave
Richardson (CPD) and myself did all the cooking. Betty McClenney was there
to make sure all went well.

Kathy DeMarco Presentation: Kathy formed a group of
volunteers who keep in contact with every service person in the military
that are residents of the Cal-Mum region. They send them "Care
Packages" and cards to every one of them. Kathy's group meets at the
American Legion and puts all the packages together, to be shipped
over-seas and in-country. They rely on donations from the public to keep
the project going. The village board presented Kathy a plaque that said:
"Thank you for you dedication and support for our troops. The
American Legion under Mel Keenan, helped put the plaque together and Vince
Yaniro framed and mounted it.

Water / Street Updates: Mark Brown (computer consultant),
Chris Buckley, Bob Frew and myself have implemented a software program
that will keep track of all repairs, new installation of water lines,
hook-up and any water line related project. Currently all the information
is stored in a set of journals that go back to the 1920's. Now with the
new software, the DPW will only have to input the house number and enter
all materials that were used and a description of the projects. Upon
completion of the job, we will know the following information: labor
costs, material costs, total hours and manpower. We will even be able to
determine in the future, the cost of a hook-up or repair prior to starting
the job. This will be converted to a cost analysis report for every job.
That information will be automatically entered into a spreadsheet program
to be used for future projects. This program will also allow the village
to adjust some of the services that in the past have been provided by the
DPW at a fixed rate. With the rising cost of copper and brass, we must be
concerned about our charge rate.

In closing I would like to thank the members of our community
for their support. As with any new administration, there will be a lag
time prior to our getting up to speed. Currently, I enjoy working with our
village employees. I feel that our Village Office (under Ann Marie Grattan’s
leadership and Nora Brunette’s assistance to Ann) runs very efficient. A
great deal of activity goes on in that office, that even I was not aware
of, until I came on board. Thanks for all for your patience and support.
If anyone has any suggestions regarding this newsletter, you may contact
me at: caluorie@frontiernet.net